Gypsy Tears
by Writer-Girl91
Summary: An Italian Gypsy suffers a horrible tragedy, awakening her mutant powers. Will new friends at the X-Mansion be able to help her heart heal, or will she be lost in her suffering forever? OC/Wolverine and slight OC/Nightcrawler M for violence and strong sexual themes.
1. A Night of Revelry

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the X-Men. They belong to Marvel. Catarina and her family are the only characters that belong to me.

**Author's Note: **Changes made thanks to Rowena DeVandal's help. Thanks, luv. You're the best. (Couldn't get my program to make the stress marks again, though. Sigh.)

* * *

Men young and old sat around a camp fire puffing on cigarettes. Their caps were pulled low over their faces, and a few of the older men had begun to drift off to sleep, their full stomachs making them drowsy. To the right, the older women of the camp were busily clearing the remains of dinner from a large wooden table. The younger women squatted at large wooden tubs washing the dishes their mothers and aunts brought to them. As the pile of dishes began to diminish, one of the younger women started quietly whistling a folk song. A man rose from the fire and entered a tent, rustling the young woman's chocolate curls as he passed her. When he came back out of the tent he was carrying a violin.

"Catarina, finish those dishes, and then, we shall dance!" the man shouted heartily as he sat down and began tuning his violin. Hastily, the women finished the dishes, emptied the tubs of dirty water, and rushed to join the others by the fire. The man began playing a quick tempo _chalga_, and the young people began twisting and twirling about the fire. Laughter and singing perfumed the air. Young and old kept the beat by clapping and stomping their feet. This revelry went on long into the night.

When the dancing was finally over, the exhausted Gypsies said good-night and retreated to their respective tents. As Catarina headed to her family's section of the camp, a youthful man came up beside her and threw his muscular arm over her shoulders.

"_Ternoo phen_, you dance beautifully. Why do you not yet have a husband, hmm?" the man asked her teasingly. A slight blush tingled its way across Catarina's cheeks.

"Because, _phral_, men who pick their wives solely on dancing skills are not men of innocent intentions," Catarina playfully shot back. "Let me ask you a question. You are a hardworking young man of good strength and good health. Why is it that _you_ have not yet found yourself a wife?" She laughed when her brother quirked an eyebrow in mild detest. After a few seconds' rumination, he looked her in the eyes and grinned.

"Well, _Rina_, there are just too few women in Italy willing to settle for a man who would chose his wife… solely on her dancing skills." Catarina threw her head back and laughed heartily.

"_Phral_, you are a dirty scoundrel!"

"Perhaps, my sweet Rina, perhaps. But, if I wasn't a scoundrel the world would be a very boring place." The two siblings found their father, the violinist, sitting outside his tent chuckling to himself.

"Radu, you are too harsh on your sister," their father said. "She is young and has plenty of time to find a suitable husband!"

"Nonsense," said their mother, who was coming around from behind the tent. "She is not a _chay _anymore, Petru. She is a _lacsho_ _roomi_ now, almost nineteen! At her age I was already married and pregnant with Radu." Their father rolled his eyes. Turning to Catarina, he clasped her hands between his and stared up into her deep brown eyes.

"My darling, you have all the time in the world! Take your time in deciding upon these heady matters. Find a man who will love you, not just provide for you." Catarina leaned over and kissed her father on the cheek.

"_Nais_ _tuke, dat_." Catarina moved to her mother and hugged her tightly. Her mother irritably rolled her eyes, but returned her daughter's embrace. "_Loki_ _ti_ _rat, day._" Placing a final kiss on Radu's cheek, Catarina resigned to her small tent.

* * *

**Author's note:** Hope the Rom wasn't too much for you guys to handle. It was very fun to use. Thanks again to Rowena for helping me out. This is just the introduction, guys. Hang for some drama next chapter, and the entrance of the X-Men!

**Rom Words:  
**Chalga - a Roma folk song  
ternoo phen - little sister  
phral - brother  
chay - girl  
lacsho roomi - pretty woman  
nais tuke - thank you  
dat - father  
loki ti rat - goodnight  
day - mother


	2. Travel Plans

**From the author:**Ok, so no X-Men quiet yet. Very soon mates I promise you. I have more writing in progress, and I could have left it attached to this piece here, but I'm trying to keep the chapters small because large chapters distract me. So here's your next chapter. I guarantee some action in the next chapter and the appearance of the X-Men will come very soon. Enjoy the chapter!

Catarina woke before the crack of dawn and hurried to her family's food supply to grab a quick breakfast. Passing stealthily between the tents, she tried to avoid detection. She knew that her mother wouldn't approve of her plans for the day and didn't want to deal with yet another lecture. Quietly, she sat by the remains of lasts night's fire, munching on a crusty hunk of bread. The feeling of the bread hushing her grumbling stomach was so pleasing that Catarina didn't hear the tent open behind her.

"You're up early," a groggy voice mumbled behind her. Catarina spun around, mouth full of bread, and saw her mother towering over her. The bread turned dry in her mouth as her eyes widened with guilt and she struggled to swallow. "What exactly are you doing up so early, young lady?"

"_Day_," Catarina said softly. "You should be sleeping."

"Yes, I should be, but I heard a _ternoo_ mouse nibbling outside of my tent and it woke me." Catarina's mother eyed her harshly. "Don't change the subject. What are you scheming?"

"Well, if you must know," her mother glared at her, "I was going to head into the city today, but just for a little while, and you don't have to worry. Nothing is going to happen. I am perfectly able of taking care of myself."

"Catarina Ferraldo! How many times do I have to tell you I don't like it when you go into the city? The people there do not understand us. You'll get yourself into trouble, and don't try to tell me otherwise. I raised you as my own since you were very young, and I know how you are. You're always tramping around and sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong." Catarina groaned. The inevitable lecture had come to be despite her precautions.

"_Day_, I am a grown woman now. You can't always be holding me back from the things I want to do. Sometime you're going to have to let me spread my wings and fly!" Catarina's mother looked offended.

"Why do you want to leave so badly? Are we not good enough for you now, hmm? You show up as a baby abandoned in the woods, Petru and I take you in and raise you as our own, and this is the respect I get? Always wishing to get away and get mixed up in matters that are too big for you."

At it again are we, Cosmina?" Catarina's father, Petru, asked. "What has the girl done this time?" Catarina's mother quietly scoffed and ran a hand over her knotted brow.

"She wants to head into the city, Petru, but she knows that I don't want her to. Do you see how she was sneaking about trying to get away before we woke up?" Sighing, Petru turned his gaze to his still seated daughter.

"Catarina. Catarina. What am I going to do with you? Why must you trouble your mother so? The city is a dangerous place and not fitting for a beautiful young woman to be traveling in all by herself."

"But, _dat_, it's not fair!" Catarina exclaimed just as a neighbor walked by their tent.

"Good morning to you, Dumitrescu," The neighbor said as he tipped his hat to Petru. Catarina's father nodded to the man as Catarina blushed in shame for her outburst. After the man had passed, Petru turned back to Catarina.

"The world isn't going anywhere, my _ternoo_ Cat. The next time I take a trip into the city you may come with me, but for now listen to your mother and stay at the camp." With that her father headed off to attended to that day's business, leaving Catarina behind with her mother. Catarina glared at her mother, her brown eyes burning like hot coals.

"Why must you be so harsh on me?" Catarina demanded, her fists clenched tightly.

"Only because we love you so much," her mother sighed. Cosmina leaned over and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. She then left to fetch some wood for a new fire, so she could cook breakfast. Catarina groaned in remorse. Sprawling out in the grass, she flopped onto her stomach and lay there moping. For the time being, she placed her resentment towards her mother on the back burner of her mind. Behind and above her she heard a deep chuckle. Rolling onto her back, Catarina's shielded her eyes from the sun and spotted Radu leaning against a tree, laughing to himself.

"_Ternoo phen_, when will you learn? Sometimes the best way to get around parents is by simply lying to them." Catarina was shocked by Radu's "brotherly" advice.

"You know I couldn't lie to them!" she proclaimed. Radu joined her in the grass as she sat up. "Lying is a sin I am not prepared to commit." Catarina crossed her arms.

"That mentality will get you nowhere," he said simply. "If you want things to go your way you must be willing to manipulate the situation by any means. Besides, is sneaking around trying to keep your plans from our parents any less sinful than lying?" Catarina frowned. A few minutes passed as they sat there quietly.

"Well it's too late for lying now," she finally muttered. "I already blew my shot of seeing the city today, or anytime in the near future since _day_ and _dat_ will be expecting me to make a break for it." This statement brought a grin to Radu's face. Warily, Catarina eyed her brother. "What is that look for, _phral_?

"You're not out of luck quite yet, Rina." He sat there grinning, watching her face show even more puzzlement. "I happen to know of a way that may yet get you into Rome." Catarina laughed mockingly and rolled her eyes.

"Radu, you are crazy. Didn't you hear _day_ chiding me? If either of our parents caught me trying to leave the camp they'd tie me to a chair and leave me to rot. There is no way for me to get into Rome today!"

"Who said they had to find out? What if I knew of a sure way for you to get into the city without _day_ or _dat_ finding out?" Catarina suspiciously stared at him.

"And what would you require as payment for your services?" she asked playfully, almost sure she already knew the answer to the question. Radu's lips spread into a mischievously calm smile.

"Deliver a letter to Adelina for me, and I will get you into Rome." Catarina pretended to take her time considering the proposal lain out before her. Supposedly, Adelina was an Italian girl Radu met on one of his trips into Rome with their father. He claimed that when he first laid eyes on her he knew that he had to be with her and would settle for no less. Of course, their father found out about the girl and forbid Radu from ever seeing her again since she was not Rom. Despite his father's command, Radu visited Adelina from time to time, though his visits were scarce since trips into the city weren't exactly encouraged. Catarina had never thought of her brother as a hopeless romantic, especially since his track record demonstrated that he was somewhat of a player, but she could tell that he genuinely cared about Adelina, and she felt that the two should have a chance to be together. Having made her decision, Catarina set her brother with a firm glance.

"Deal."


	3. Disaster Comes Swiftly

**Author's note: Finally, chapter three has arrived. As promised it is drama filled. Next chapter will be updated quickly and will bring in the X-men. Sorry for the wait, and thanks everyone for being ever so patient! 3**

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Not much later, Catarina found herself on a rickety cart buried under a pile of hay. Apparently Radu's idea of traveling to Rome was sneaking onto a neighbor's cart and hitching a ride. The cart bounced violently on the worn dirt path, dust and grime rising in a thick cloud behind the cart's wheels. Eyes clamped tightly shut, Catarina offered a silent prayer to her guardian angel as the cart jolted over another bump. The sun continued to rise higher in the sky, heating the earth below to a scalding summer temperature. Catarina was baking under the layers of hay and a drop of sweat rolled down her back beneath her muted green shirt. Drowsy from the heat, she slipped into a light sleep, despite the ride's roughness.

When she woke the sounds of cars honking, people shouting, and vendors warbling their wares surround her. The cart had stopped, and she didn't hear her neighbor anywhere near, so she slid out from the hay and slipped into an alley. As she stood straitening her clothes and picking flecks of hay out of her hair, she observed the crowded city scenery. The street was edged by tall, old, brick apartments. Lines of drying clothes hung strung between windows high above her head. There weren't any people in the alley, but Catarina could hear numerous voices drifting from the buildings and the market at the alley's end. Turning away from the market, Catarina started walking at an easy pace.

The day passed quietly. Sometime in the afternoon, after delivering Radu's letter, Catarina stumbled upon a secluded café and bought herself a bowl of cold soup. She sat down at an umbrella shaded table and slowly savored the comforting flavors of her meal. An elderly couple inhabited the adjacent table. Their hushed voices drifted leisurely on the gentle breeze that was beginning to kick up. As the elderly couple stood to leave, the husband smiled at his wife and took her hand in his and they slowly made their departure. _Some day I hope to have a husband like that,_ Catarina thought to herself. _Someone who will truly love be, no matter how old I get._ She smiled pleasantly, cleaned up her bowl of soup, and continued on her tour of the city.

A few more hours had slipped by when Catarina was startled by an abrupt change in the weather. The gentle breeze that had been tickling her face not many minutes ago had gathered speed and was now a continuous string of violent gusts. Thick, heavy rain clouds completely hid the sky's innocent blue and threatened to release their furry at any moment. Struggling to keep her balance as yet another gust of wind threatened to topple her, Catarina turned around and hurried back the way she came. Humidity hung thickly in the air nearly making breathing an unachievable task. Panting heavily, she raced down street after street, hoping she was taking the proper turns to find the market where her ride was parked. Then, like the breaking of a damn, rain thundered down from the sky. Large drops, aided by the gusting wind, flung them selves at Catarina, drenching her clothes and blinding her. Anxious that the weather may already have forced her neighbor to leave with his cart, she pressed herself to keep moving. Street signs blurred in the torrents, and the cobblestone street became dangerously slick. As she quickly rounded a corner, Catarina slipped on a low spot in the road and crashed to the ground. She landed in a muddy puddle, scraped her knee on a jutting stone, and roughly banged her head on the stone covered street. Her vision blurred, swum sickeningly, and eventually faded to black.

* * *

_Lightening flashed and thunder rolled. Rain tore from its mother the sky and poured down upon the dry earth. Rivers swelled and streets flooded. In one of those flooded streets lay the cold, broken body of a girl, a girl who had barely reached the beginning of womanhood. Her rain drenched form was sprawled in the shadows, hidden from all but one other human being. This shadowy form approached the girl with ferociousness. A hunger burned in his eyes, waiting to be released like the fiends of Hades. With no regard to decency, the predator pulled his prey farther into the shadows and sat back to observe his catch. Her slender form was graced with delicate curves in all the proper places. Long, curly hair sprawled around her head like melted chocolate. Not that her beauty mattered. Even an ugly woman would have suited the ravenous predator._

_Sick of waiting, though his speculations had truly only lasted a handful of seconds, the prowler moved toward the unconscious girl, flipped her skirt up over her head, and hastily removed her undergarments. He then proceeded to removed his own rain drenched pants, which proved to be harder than he'd expect, and he became agitated. Surely this girl was someone's prized possession and would soon be missed. He hadn't much time to accomplish his mission. Roughly he shoved himself into the girl, slamming hard against her tightness. Indeed, she was marvelously tight. He wondered if she was a virgin. Doubt quietly slipping into his hazed mind, the predator began to feel guilty about what he would do next to the girl. No, he had already come too far. This would be the girl's first, and last, encounter with sex._

_Suddenly, the man's pleasure began to peak. He sped up his thrusting, digging deeper and deeper into the girl with every push. Just as he ejaculated into her, heaving with ragged gasps, the girl began to stir beneath him, a quiet moan escaping her voluptuous lips. Hastily, the man pulled out of the girl and heaved up his pants. With only a flash of remorse crossing his face, the man pulled out a curved, serrated knife and thrust it into the girl's hidden place. A silent scream escaped the girl's mouth as the man thrust the knife into her over and over, cutting her into shreds. Somehow she remained unconscious, most likely because the pain would have been too much to bare. He placed his free hand over her mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping, and proceeded to use his knife on other parts of her body. He sliced her inner thighs, her stomach, her breasts, and finally her throat. Blood poured from the girl's demolished body. The man paused his slashing to see if the girl was dead yet._

_Something was wrong. The man still had his hand over the girl's mouth, but his hands were shaking violently and he dropped the knife. It clattered loudly on the cobblestone street. Quaking fiercely, the man felt as though he were being turned inside out. His body burned with invisible flames. As he sat writhing on top of the girl, he watched in horror as the cuts across her body began to heal, leaving source less pools of blood on her skin. The man's eyes rolled back in his eyes, his skin drew taught across his bones, and he rolled off of the girl onto his back. He lay there convulsing. Then, he lay motionless._

* * *

Catarina's eyes flittered open. The water drenched fabric of her skirt was blocking her view. She scrambled into a sitting position, pulled her skirt over her legs, and sat staring at the scene before her with a dazed look in her eyes. The rain was quickly washing away masses of blood from her cold, pain filled body, but she couldn't find any cuts on her skin. A throbbing emanated from deep inside her when she tried to stand. Collapsing back onto the street, she turned her head and a gasp of shock escaped her mouth as she spotted a very hollow looking man lying beside her. A look of ultimate pain and horror was plastered on his face, and his eyes were rolled back in his skull. Terrified, Catarina reached out a blood bathed arm and felt for the man's pulse. He had none. Her eyes opened wide as she examined the dark alley in which she had collapsed. A bloody knife was on her other side, and her underwear were flung far out of reach. _My underwear?_ Fear surround Catarina and tightly gripped her heart.

Pushing all her thoughts out of her mind, she fought against the pain that threatened to overwhelm her and forced herself to her feet. As soon as she was standing, she collapsed against a building wall and struggled to calm her ragged breathing. Where should she go? She couldn't go home, even if she knew the way. Her body had been ravaged and she was now a disgrace before God, a blemish on her family's reputation. Why would they harbor her now that she was _marime_, especially since she wasn't related to them by blood? Catarina stared down the rain obstructed street and moved the only direction she could. Forward.

The journey was not easy. She felt weak and collapsed frequently. The rain had drained her of all warmth and she had little strength left. Praying for somewhere to hide, Catarina stumbled, but as she fell her eye caught sight of ray of hope. Just a few meters ahead of her was an old building that looked abandoned. The doors and windows were barred off, but not very well and there was a single hole that she thought would be large enough for her to squeeze in through. Gathering up her last bit of strength, Catarina picked herself up and ran for the hole. It was a tight fit, but soon she was out of the rain and hopefully safe.

"H-he-hello?" she quaked quietly. "Anybody there?" Nobody replied. Gratefully, Catarina slumped against the wall facing the blocked doorway, cowering in the shadows. If anyone else got the idea of using the place to hide from the rain she wanted to be sure she could see them but that they couldn't see her. Weak with fatigue, Catarina finally gave way to the tears she had been holding back. She curled up in a ball, her ragged sobs shaking her small frame. All she could do as she sat there was to feel extremely alone and wish for death.

* * *

**Marime - unclean**


	4. To Find a Mutant

**Author's Note: **What's possessed me to pick up this fic after it's been seemingly long dead? Goddess knows… But here it is. Gypsy Tears alive and breathing once again, and this time I even have a semi-plan for where I want to take it. Yippee!

_Screech!_ Metal protested against metal as adamantium claws ripped through simulated steel. A large robotic head crashed to the ground seconds before its accompanying body landed with a thud. Wolverine took a step back to admire his work. The Danger Room floor was scattered with dismembered androids, shattered glass, and metallic shrapnel. There were a few charred spots along the walls where robots had self-destructed after being decapitated.

Wolverine's face lit up in a grin. His chest moved up and down with the ragged motion of exertion. With the back of his hand he wiped away the sheen of sweat that gathered on his forehead, though it was of little use as his entire body was drenched. He turned up to the control booth hanging from the Danger Room ceiling and shielded his eyes from the bright florescent lighting. Through the large glass windows of the control booth he saw Storm shaking her head in disbelief, and his grin spread even larger.

"Logan," came Ororo's voice over the intercom, "I've thrown everything at you that's of reasonable difficulty, but you simply slice through it all as if it's made of air."

"Then maybe we should try something harder than reasonable, Roro," Logan shouted up to the booth. He thought he saw Storm roll her eyes, but just then a psychic wave entered the room.

_Ororo, Logan,_ spoke the Professor's crystal clear voice, _I need to speak with you immediately._

Logan glanced up, but Storm had already left the control booth. In a matter of seconds she was at his side, and they hurried off to the Professor's office.

*******

A small crowd of X-Men congregated in the Professor's office. Jean, Scott, and Hank sat scattered around the room. Professor Xavier was parked in his wheelchair behind his desk. The office's heavy oak door swung open, and Logan and Ororo stepped into the room. As Logan closed the door, Ororo took the last seat, and Xavier turned to his X-Men. Logan casually leaned against the door, not minding that there wasn't a chair for him.

"Thank you all for getting here quickly," began the Professor, his face cloaked in seriousness. "A short while ago I received a message from a friend in Italy. His mutant ability allows him to feel fluctuations in energy fields that are relatively close to him, and about a day ago he felt one such surge emanating from a downtown section of Rome. He thought little of it until he saw on the news that the body of a dangerous serial killer had been found in an alley near the epicenter of the power swell." The Professor paused.

"It was reported that the body had been killed by an unknown cause, yet had been deformed in a horrific combination of what seemed to be electrocution and mummification." The room was hushed and the heaviness of the matter at hand weighed powerfully on everyone.

"My friend believes the death may have been caused by a mutant," continued Xavier. "With the help of Cerebro, I have managed to pinpoint the location of the mutant, and it seems not to be changing locations. It is of utmost importance to investigate this situation further before the mutant can harm itself or anyone surrounding it again. A mutant with the ability to manipulate energy or radiation who is not in control of their powers could cause great damage. Storm and Jean, you are to head to the location in Rome and help the mutant if you can. Logan, you are to take Scott's place with Jean and Ororo, as he has a prior commitment to handle here at the mansion." Logan let out a quiet grunt. Recon missions were never his favorite activity.

_Unless you would prefer to stay here and teach the students about following orders,_ the Professor sarcastically projected into Logan's head.

"I didn't say I wouldn't go, Charles," Wolverine grumbled. The others in the room cast glances between Logan and the Professor noting the half heard conversation.

"Hank," Xavier turned to the large furry man, "if you have the time, it would be beneficial if you could meet up with my contact in Italy to find out what you can about the energy the mutant manipulated. That way if the mutant agrees to return to the mansion we can have an idea of what to expect." Xavier glanced around the room at his students and friends. Their faces mirrored his determination and he felt a protective pride toward them.

"I've downloaded the locations you require into the X-Jet's mainframe. Remember, the mutant will most likely be afraid and confused. Patience will be a necessity on this mission." The Professor cast a quick glance in Wolverine's direction. "If you have any questions, you know where to find me." With that the X-Men rose and prepared to leave.


End file.
